An examination of actual Internet upload speeds for fixed Internet service in select Caribbean countries, which are compared with the speed test results recorded in 2017.

 

Without a doubt, considerable attention is given to download speed – the download speed of the plans that our Internet Service Provider is offering, and the download speeds we are experience in fact. However, if the Caribbean region is serious about fostering content creation and innovation, greater attention ought to be paid to upload speeds, so that our content or innovation/business ideas can be accessed via the Internet, and by the widest possible audience. It is with that in mind, that we have rekindled this Snapshot, examining Internet upload speeds across the Caribbean region.

Methodology

Consistent with previous exercises, the Internet upload speed data was sourced from Ookla, a recognised provider of broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications. Further, consistent with the download speed test results, only the following 10 Caribbean countries, out of the 135 countries listed, were included in the May 2018 fixed broadband Internet speed update:

  1. Bahamas
  2. Barbados
  3. Belize
  4. Curacao
  5. Dominican Republic
  6. Guyana
  7. Jamaica
  8. Puerto Rico
  9. Suriname
  10. Trinidad and Tobago.

We thus examined the actual Internet upload speeds recorded for those 10 Caribbean countries, and thereafter, we compared them with results recorded in July 2017.

How fast are the upload speeds in Caribbean countries in 2018?

Based on the results for May, and as shown in Table 1, the fastest fixed upload speed was recorded in Barbados, at 32.09 Mbps. Barbados, was followed by Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica, which had upload speeds in excess of 18.72 Mbps and 10.35 Mbps, respectively.

Table 1: Actual Internet upload speeds recorded in select Caribbean countries as of May 2018 (Source: Ookla)

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the slowest upload speed among the Caribbean countries listed, was recorded in Suriname, the Dominican Republic and Guyana, with Suriname and the Dominican Republic recording speeds under 4 Mbps.

It should be noted that the global ranking of countries is based on their download speeds. Hence, countries such as Belize that recorded a relatively slow download speed – and was ranked 104th out of 135 countries – actually has the fourth fastest upload speed among the Caribbean grouping.

Comparing the upload and download speed test results of May 2018, in most countries examined, download speeds were at least twice that of the upload speed, as reflected in Figure 1. The exceptions are Jamaica and Belize, where the ratio of upload to download speed were 1:1.90 for Jamaica , and 1:1.26 for Belize.

Figure 1: Comparison of actual Internet upload and download speeds recorded in select Caribbean countries as of May 2018 (Source: Ookla)

On the other hand, the widest disparity was recorded in Puerto Rico, 1:4.50, where the download speed was approximately 4.5 times faster than the upload speed recorded. Other countries note were, the Dominican Republic, at 1:3.71, and Curaçao, at 1:3.02.

Have upload speeds improved since 2017?

Although we did not publish it last year, we have the upload speed test results for July 2017 to facilitate a comparison, as shown in Figure 2. Over the past year, and across all of Caribbean countries examined, the upload speeds recorded increased.

The greatest increase in upload speed, around 10 Mbps, was recorded in Barbados, and was followed by the Bahamas, at nearly 5.50 Mbps, and Trinidad and Tobago, at 3.35 Mbps. On the flip side, the smallest increase was recorded in Curaçao, at nearly 0.60 Mbps, which was followed by the Dominican Republic, at 0.90 Mbps, and Suriname, at 1.20 Mbps.

Figure 2: Internet upload speeds in select Caribbean countries in July 2017 and May 2018 (Source: Ookla)

However, in terms of impact, the increase in upload speed would have been greatest in Belize, where a doubling of speed (114%) occurred in under a year. However, a less than 10% improvement was recorded in Curaçao.

Figure 3: Change in Internet upload speeds in select Caribbean countries between July 2017 and May 2018 (Source: Ookla)

Averaged across the Caribbean countries examined, upload speeds increased by around 45%, or approximately 3.1 Mbps, from 2017, from around 7.8 Mbps in July 2017, to 10.9 Mbps as in May 2018.

 

Image credit:  Mediamodifier (Pixabay)